


The Lower Road

by Alithea



Series: Numbers Alternates [1]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Alternate Timeline, Alternate Universe - Dark, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-31
Updated: 2010-03-31
Packaged: 2017-10-08 13:42:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/76223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alithea/pseuds/Alithea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Numbers Alternates, AU setting. Noin discovers something she hadn't considered when she comes home from college.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Lower Road

**Author's Note:**

> This is an alternate universe to the already established Numbers-verse. Sort of a side step to tread over abandoned ideas and indulge a little further than even the Numbers allows. This story corelates to the Numbers chapter title: Nine.

The book was dog eared and the cover had been taped back into place more times than could be counted. She wasn't actually reading the book so much as thumbing through the pages and casting her eyes over stretches of underlined text. The book was a crutch. It was something to hold onto during the long flight, but its normal wisdom was lost on her and she found herself unable to find the comfort that it usually brought her.

Lucrezia Noin shut her eyes and tried to sleep. She leaned her head into the cool feel of the window and tried to imagine a different world from the one she was returning to. She'd been gone for a long time it seemed. School had swallowed her up as she went for a degree she'd likely never use. Everyone would be different, and yet it was likely that things would be very much the same as she had left them.

Trieze would be running things in the city. Zechs would be with him, or his father. The Kushrenada estate would be still save the movements of the servants. Une would still be away at school, law school. Always Une fought to be what Treize wanted her to be, or at least that was how Noin saw it.

She felt a tug in her stomach and opened her eyes as she realized that she was wrong. She was wrong on a certain level, but she thought it because she wanted to be right.

****

The house was bare. The servants aware of her arrival had aired out one of the guest rooms for her to stay in. As she moved through the house to her room she noticed that another room was also being aired. She stepped passed the doorway and realized that it was Une's room. It had hardly changed from their childhood.

She remembered a dinner party that had ended late and with Zechs insisting she stay over for the night, and Treize's father voicing the question of why all the damn kids had to stay at his house all the time, but consenting nonetheless. She would have to stay with Une for the night, which was awkward because they had never really gotten along.

The room was still a teenager's room, and Noin noted all the trinkets that were still kept neatly dusted along the book shelves. Eyes lighting on random things, the shadow box of roses, the line of empty leather journals, and she only knew they were empty because she and Zechs had snuck in to try and spy on Une. He wanted to find something he could use against the girl adopted into the Kushrenada household. His jealousy of Une made Noin jealous in turn.

She stepped back to the room she was given and started to unpack, wanting to imagine that they'd all grown up. That the past was just that and that they could move on. She almost laughed out loud, because she recognized how untrue it all was.

****

Noin stepped out onto the estates grounds and strode towards the small make-shift gym that had been built back when she and Zechs were in junior high. She'd always meant to work on her boxing, but Zechs never had the time to assist her, and Une-

She bit her lip at the thought of the young woman. The way she looked while doing pull-ups, dangling from the bar to cast a critical eye over Noin. She'd made a barb, hadn't she?

Noin couldn't remember.

The lights to the gym were on and she walked inside. A sense of déjà vu wore away even as she watched Une from the door. The young woman was doing push-ups and Noin wondered what it was that drove Une to such a strict exercise regiment.

Une stopped and stood up. She turned and looked at Noin, grinning and shaking her head.

"I was just thinking about you," Une said softly. "I heard you might be staying here for a while."

"Just until I get my bearings," Noin replied. "I've graduated." She tilted her head and then said, "I thought you were going to law school."

"I am." Une picked up a towel and wiped the sweat from her brow. "I came here for my break before things start up again." She swaggered over to where Noin was standing and asked, "Are you going to be a journalist?"

"If I can get a job."

"Good." She looked as if she were going to walk back to the house, but she stopped to comment, "I like the new haircut."

Noin grabbed at that back of her head and shrugged, "I look better this way."

"I know."

She blinked as she watched Une stalk back towards the house. She took a deep breath wondering why they couldn't be civil to each other, even now.

****

Dinner was served at the usual time. Une and Noin ate in silence and then returned to their respective rooms. Noin tried reading her book again but failed to connect with the words on the page. She put it down and decided to walk down to the house's small library.

As she opened her door she met with Une who seemed surprised to see her out of her room. She smiled and stepped back down the hall.

"Wait," Noin called softly. "Wait, Josephine."

Une stopped at her room, leaning against the door. She motioned for Noin to follow her inside. Noin complied and stepped into the room. She shut the door and tried to think of what it was she really wanted to say as Une sat on the bed, waiting patiently.

"I-" She stopped herself and then tried again, "Nothing's changed, has it?"

"That depends on what you mean by change," Une replied. "This house hasn't changed since I left for college, but I didn't expect it too. Have you changed?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure…" She bit her bottom lip and then said, "I'm thinking of spending a year in Majorca."

Une nodded. She reached out and picked up a journal from her night stand. "He finally found one, you know?"

"What?"

"When we were fourteen Zechs finally got a hold of one of my journals. You weren't here for that. He never admitted it but I know it was him." She put the journal back in its place.

"Oh."

"There wasn't much in it that was of any use."

Noin nodded and then confessed, "He doesn't like you much."

Une grinned and shook her head. "That yellow suit you were wearing while we were in the gym?"

"What about it?"

"Yellow doesn't suit you." She considered the statement and then said, "Well, at least not that shade of it."

"Right." She shook her head and grabbed the handle of the door behind her. She gripped it loosely and then asked, "You don't like me do you?"

"No, but I think you misunderstand why."

"Then explain it."

Une stood up and walked the short distance from the bed to the door. She got in close and said, "I can't. The feeling isn't the same as before. It's turned into something else and so remains dislike."

Noin blinked and nodded. "You're different now. What happened?"

"I finally met someone worth loving."

"Worth?" She shut her eyes and felt Une press closer. She opened her eyes and let Josephine kiss her, only to find herself kissing back. She pulled away and nodded. "This can't happen," Noin said.

"I know," Une replied, "but it seemed worth mentioning to you. He doesn't know and hasn't figured it out yet. He's holding on to other things from the past."

Noin nodded and Une stepped back towards her bed. She opened the door and went back to her room.

****

Lucrezia Noin stared down from the second level of the hotel into the lobby. She watched as the newest of the numbers made notes on a pad of paper and then stepped back. She looked over at Sally Po who was standing next to her. She shook her head and asked, "Do you think…Do you think she looks like me?"

Sally grinned and looked down into the lobby. "Only a little, but our new number Eight doesn't have your strong features. She's much shorter than you too."

"Hmm."

"Besides," Sally said with a chuckle, "Aretha is a better dresser."

"Only because of Eleven."

"I don't think so." She crossed her arms over her chest and asked, "Why does it matter?"

Noin shook her head. "It doesn't. I was just…Never mind. Let's go."

End.


End file.
